Depave on Jones Avenue in Nashville

Project Date: December 2024

Location: Nashville, TN

Waterway improved: Pages Branch

Restoration methods: Depaving, native tree planting

From asphalt slip lane to native food forest

In December 2024, the Compact joined Metro Water Services and the Nashville Department of Transportation(NDOT) in a multi-agency partnership to depave 4,835 square feet of asphalt on Jones Avenue in East Nashville. The area was formerly a slip lane – a turn lane that allowed vehicles to bypass the four-way stop at the intersection of Dellway Drive and Jones Avenue. Slip lanes can pose safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists due to the increased speed of vehicles. Root Nashville Planting Captain Tranyce Parmer, who lives in the neighborhood, proposed an idea to the Compact: remove the slip lane to improve safety and reimagine the former roadway as a community gathering space.

Over the course of two weeks, the pavement was cut, excavated, and removed. The soil was then rehabilitated to create a hospitable growing environment for 26 native fruit, flower, and nut-bearing trees to create an edible food forest. Now, the former road is a green oasis with permanent benches featuring the names of prominent community members. By removing this asphalt, an impervious surface, over 100,000 gallons of annual stormwater runoff can now be absorbed into the soil.

AN OUTDATED ROAD IN A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD

Jones Avenue is located in a charming neighborhood tucked away in East Nashville. The land was originally part of a 91-acre estate belonging to the Joy family, but was sold and redeveloped into the Joywood Heights neighborhood in the 1950s. Today, the neighborhood is known by many other names – locally, it is referred to as Shepardwood or Oakwood.

The road segment outlined in red in the image below is called a slip lane. A slip lane is a dedicated lane that allows cars to turn right at an intersection without having to directly enter the main intersection, often allowing drivers to bypass traffic signals and make the turn without stopping. Today, NDOT/Metro would not propose a slip lane in a residential neighborhood. This outdated design element encourages speeding and poses a danger to vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

The Joywood Heights neighborhood plan, 1940.

WHAT IF THIS SPACE WASN’T PAVED?

Every project starts with a champion.

Tranyce Parmer is a local resiliency leader and creative who is deeply involved in community initiatives. She has spent the majority of her upbringing deeply connected to the Shepardwood neighborhood and has served for multiple years as a Root Nashville Neighborhood Planting Captain. While serving as the Beautification Commissioner for District 5, she posed an unconventional question to the Compact about the Jones Avenue slip lane: what if this space wasn’t paved?

Thanks to Tranyce’s proposal and through a collaborative partnership with Nashville Department of Transportation and Metro Water Services, the Compact was soon able to gain the proper approvals to safely remove and restore the 4,800 square foot roadway to a more natural state.

A FOOD FOREST ON THE RISE

Hunter Andrews, the Compact’s Field Operations Coordinator, removes asphalt from the Jones Avenue slip lane with an excavator.

Over two frigid weeks in December 2024, the Compact’s field team cut, lifted, and removed the asphalt to free the soil at the Jones Avenue site. What was left behind was a blend of highly compacted soil and gravel aggregate, far too degraded to support any new plant growth. Therefore, new healthy soil was added and blended with organic material called biochar to reinvigorate the soil structure and health. The area was seeded and strawed, and 26 carefully selected 2”-caliper trees were planted in the new greenspace. Each tree has edible characteristics such as fruits, nuts, or flowers, which Tranyce plans to use as a way to connect local youth with the benefits of trees.

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY TIES THROUGH PUBLIC GREEN SPACE

Depaving helps foster more climate resilient neighborhoods by addressing numerous environmental problems that plague urban landscapes.

Paved surfaces are impervious– they prevent rainwater from naturally infiltrating into the ground, and instead generate stormwater runoff. As this runoff travels towards waterways, it collects pollutants like trash and oil. After depaving, rainwater can absorb into the soil, reducing pollution in rivers, creeks, and streams, and mitigating flooding. Urban trees naturally enhance stormwater capture – their roots increase the water storage capacity of soil, their canopies catch rainfall on their leaves, allowing it to evaporate before making it to the ground. Now, the former road is a green oasis with permanent benches featuring the names of prominent community members. By removing this asphalt, an impervious surface, over 100,000 gallons of annual stormwater runoff can now be absorbed into the soil.

Urban Waters Division Manager Jason Sprouls stands at the Jones Avenue site with Tranyce Parmer on the day of the tree planting.

The Jones Avenue site provides a much-needed green space for community members. Tranyce coordinated with NDOT to install benches that proudly display the names of community elders – a multi-generational tether between the land and the people who share the space. On February 2, 2025, Tranyce organized a dedication event and community celebration featuring live music and food vendors.